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| A Little Lily Princess | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Hanako Games |
| Publisher(s) | Ratalaika Games |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | PC May 18, 2016 Consoles May 28, 2021 |
| Genre(s) | Visual novel |
LEDE
Background
editAs a child, Georgina Bensley read Frances Hodgson Burnett's 1905 novel A Little Princess, and the book left an impression that lasted into her adulthood. As an adult, Bensley founded the indie game company Hanako Games and developed multiple influential indie visual novels.[1][2] Despite enjoying other media based on A Little Princess, such as the movies released in 1939 and 1995, Bensley reported personally feeling such adaptations were not quite "true to the book".[1] Bensley believed a visual novel format would befit an adaptation of a novel on the premise that the medium's openness to replayability and branching paths escapes the limitations of traditional linear narrative.[3]
Bensley created some visual novels in what Fuwanovel considers an "anime-style".[1] Bensley has called herself "a big fan of anime".[2] When hiring an artist for A Little Lily Princess, Bensley intentionally sought out an artist whose cute, animesque style she had noticed and decided was the right fit for the game.[4]
Hanako Games titles are financed by the profits of earlier releases, and development often involves working with freelancers and contractors.[5] Reviewer Kim Snaith reports that A Little Lily Princess was developed with a "modest scope and budget".[6]
The Japanese word for lily flowers, yuri, is also used to denote a genre of stories with same-gender female relationships in media like anime, manga, movies, and games; some yuri games use lily flowers as metaphors for love.[7]
Content
editSynopsis
editA Little Lily Princess adapts the narrative of A Little Princess.[8] Reviewer Daniel Waite observes the game "stay[s] true to the original plot."[9] Rob Lake notes that "Of course in adapting the novel Hanako Games have taken some liberties with the source material."[10]
Protagonist Sara Crewe, a girl raised in luxury with her father Captain Crewe in British colonial India, moves to London, England to be educated at Miss Minchin’s Seminary for Young Ladies,[10] an all-girl boarding school.[11] When Sara's father unexpectedly dies penniless and in debt, she is left with no financial security or social power, and headmistress Miss Minchin forces Sara into servitude for the Seminary.[6] Reviewer Victoria observes that A Little Lily Princess explores "what happens to those who go from having everything to being left with almost nothing."[12] Following Sara in her misfortune, the narrative poses whether Sara can retain her friends and sense of dignity through her grueling new circumstances.[13] By the story's end, a family friend finds Sara and restores her to wealth in a happy ending.[9]
("light yuri" elements, some of the mature themes, some of the expansion to characters including Lavinia's character, age changes)
"serious themes, open-ended interpretations, and hours upon hours of rich narrative content."[3]
Gameplay
editCONTENT
Audiovisuals
editCONTENT
Publication
editOn May 18, 2016, Hanako Games announced its release of A Little Lily Princess[14] for personal computers[6] under its Hanabira label[15] and purchasable via the Hanako Games website and PC game distribution service Steam.[4] Steam sold A Little Lily Princess at a 15% markdown sale price until May 26, 2016.[4]
Five years later on May 28, 2021, Hanako Games with publisher Ratalaika Games released console ports of A Little Lily Princess for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.[10] On release, the console versions sold for €12,99 (EUR), £11.99 (GBP), and $14.99 (USD).[13] A Little Lily Princess received a 12+ rating from PEGI[10] and a Teen rating from ESRB.[13]
Reception
edit"The story, and particularly the character of Sara, is what makes this game worth playing."[16]
According to game website Rice Digital, A Little Lily Princess is one of the "Top 10 English yuri games" of 2016.[15][8]
Citations
edit- ^ a b c Bensley, Georgina (August 2019). "Cute Knights, Magic Schools and Dead Princesses – Interview with Hanako Games". Fuwanovel (Interview). Archived from the original on November 8, 2022.
- ^ a b Bensley, Georgina (November 27, 2006). "Interview with Hanako Games". Sodaware (Interview). Archived from the original on September 25, 2022.
- ^ a b Valens, Ana (May 20, 2016). "The Rise of the Western Visual Novel". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on November 1, 2022.
- ^ a b c "A Little Lily Princess Review". The Lily Garden. May 22, 2016. Archived from the original on January 17, 2023.
- ^ Bensley, Georgina (February 12, 2008). "Interview with Georgina Bensley, Hanako Games". Gamezebo (Interview). Interviewed by Erin Bell. Archived from the original on August 29, 2022.
- ^ a b c Snaith, Kim (June 2, 2016). "A Little Lily Princess Review". GameSpew. Archived from the original on October 13, 2016.
- ^ Liu (2019, pp. 154, 156)
- ^ a b Williams, Max (November 3, 2016). "Top 10 English Yuri Games". Rice Digital. Archived from the original on March 19, 2021.
- ^ a b Waite, Daniel (May 27, 2021). "Review: A Little Lily Princess". Movies Games and Tech. Archived from the original on May 27, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Lake, Rob (January 9, 2021). "A Little Lily Princess Review". Rapid Reviews UK. Archived from the original on August 13, 2022.
- ^ Nation, Justin. "A Little Lily Princess". Nindie Spotlight (review). Archived from the original on February 4, 2023.
- ^ Victoria (June 16, 2021). "Review | A Little Lily Princess". LifeisXbox. Archived from the original on October 6, 2022.
- ^ a b c Lehr, CJ (June 23, 2021). "A Little Lily Princess Switch Review". LadiesGamers. Archived from the original on October 6, 2022.
- ^ "Updates". Hanako Games. Archived from the original on August 19, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
- ^ a b Liu (2019, p. 157)
- ^ Mercia, Ash (June 17, 2021). "A Little Lily Princess Review". Switch Player. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021.
Sources
edit- Liu, Yueqian (2019). "Yuri Game: Romance and Characterization in Gameplay". In Fang, Xiaowen (ed.). HCI in Games. Proceedings of HCI-Games 2019, held as part of the 21st International Conference of Human-Computer Interaction, Orlando, FL, USA, July 26–31, 2019. Springer. pp. 154–164. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-22602-2_13. ISBN 978-3-030-22601-5. ISSN 0302-9743.
External links
edit- A Little Lily Princess at The Visual Novel Database
- Launch trailer distributed by Ratalaika Games